Hey Katie,
You have a thorough understanding of your novel and present a good model for others. Be sure to make text to self connections to support your own ideas.
Ms C :)
I can see that you carefully reflected on the questions while completing this task. It shows!
Katie Willis After – Hazel Hutchins January 25th 2011
E-journal entry 1
:
When the choice came to choose our book for Novelty study, I chose ‘After’ first because of what I read on the back. The back was about after a shooting, but in the book you really don’t know about the shooting, it usually kind of gives hints about the characters ‘Kate and Sam’ missing someone that had died. Closer to the middle you learn more about it though. At the beginning I was really excited about getting this book, but it actually didn’t have that much of a hook and didn’t really intrigue you. Although when you read more of the book it continues on about Kate and Sam’s lives, and also you wanted to read more near the middle because it was dropping more and more hints and somehow, even though Kate and Sam, first of all; don’t know each other, and don’t even live close together, you infer that the shooting has some sort of connection that ties them both together. Before the story began you learn that Kate’s older brother Josh dies in a shooting, and so has Everett, Sam’s older brother. I don’t think the setting is that important in this story because Sam, is either right now, at school or at his apartment and Kate is living on a ranch, and goes to school also. It doesn’t really state what town or even country they live in ever, but through the novel I think it will become clearer of where this story takes place. There is one main problem of both characters, and that is coping with the death of their siblings and how the town reflects on the situation to them as a person. Kate moved before the story started to get away from where it happened, because her family wanted to start fresh and not have to deal with the rumours going around town. Sam though, has not moved but attends a school on the other side of town with only one boy that knows their families’ secret. So they’re both dealing with emotional problems with the death of a loved one, but also their dealing with ‘what will people think of us now?’ questions or ‘Can I really move on from this situation?’. As I read on I’m getting a better feel from the book and understanding more, but it is also tricky switching chapter to chapter to Kate, and then Sam, Kate and then Sam. Sam is also spoken in a third person narrator, well Kate’s chapters are written as if she’s sending a letter to her friend starting as ‘Dear Amy,’ .
E-journal entry 2 :
When i read more and more of the book After, it really started to get interesting! Kate's Dad left her and her mom alone, by themselves on the ranch and they really started to have to work really hard to keep everything running well. Soon though, Kate's part started getting boring and i was always excited about Sam's chapter because it started to get into what happened and why. It turns out Sam's older brother has a huge anger managment problem and a mental disorder, and murdered Kate's older brother and best friend. Kate and Sam don't even know eachother but they are linked majorly in this book. You'd think that Kate's mom would be mad at Sam's family but she's not, not even a bit, maybe it was because Sam's older brother (the murderer; Everett) killed himself after he killed Kate's older brother (Josh) and her best friend (Amy). I also have figured out that Amy isn't getting these letters that Kate's writing after all because she's actually dead, it states this in almost the very last sentence in the book.
Wiki Task - Febuary 14th 2011 Kate's Perspective- Setting: Before the story it tells that Kate just moved to a ranch, in a remote location, the horse ranch with acres of fields, and a huge barn. They live in a huge farmhouse, with a dog house and a willow tree at the end of the lane. Sam's Perspective-Setting: Sam lives in a run down apartment at the wrong end of town, he has a very small room, and so does everyone in his apartment, beside the building there is an abandoned house. Kate and Sam live in very different areas, Kate in a remote location on a beautiful ranch, Sam in a cluttered, run down apartment building. The conflict in this story, deals with the impact of both their lives after there loss and how their coping, and the story behind the loss, and what people are doing now that they know about the story. Kate moves to get away from people knowing about her brother's death, but it's ripping there family apart, they don't celebrate birthdays, or anyother holidays, and Kate's Dad barley talks to her or her Mom. This result is Kate's Dad leaving unexpectantly, leaving her mom and herself in charge of the horses. Sam has a younger sister, and she's at that age where she knows kind of whats going on, but yet she doesnt. Whenever Sam and sam's mom talk about Everett's name the whole world crashes around them. Since Everett was mentally challenged everybody around is avoiding the family and Sam because they think they are going to be like Everett also. Climax: The climax in after is i think, where Kate's Dad leaves and Sam's Bully starts to piece together, and tell everyone about how his brother murdered Kate's brother. When Kate's Dad finally had enough, he left unexpectantly. Sam's Bully knew about Everett murdering two people but then he started to tell people and figure out where Sam stashed the gun from the murder. Sam's bully then trys to threaten Sam into giving it to him, but Sam makes a smart choice and tells one person at school to go take the gun from the hiding place to the cops, because who knew the damage Sam's Bully could do with that in his hands. Kate finds that her dad has actually been coming to the barn all the time to feed and care for the horses when her and her moms back was turned, she finds him in the barn one day when one of the horses was about to give birth, and stood there watching the foal get up and start to walk with her mom, they decide to try to make things right again, because they have an inch of hope that maybe they can get through this hard time in their lives. Foreshadowing: When reading After it foreshadows on the first page of chapter 37 page 119, that her dad 'doesn't want to be around anyone these days' foreshadowing that her Dad doesn't want to be with or around Kate and her mom. I think it is foreshadowing that he is getting ready to leave. Similies: page 127: 'it felt like the whole world had come down upon me in darkness' page 105: '.. into the distance like a little poem among the trees' page 105: 'She stands on the gym floor below the stage like a giant bird all painted in matching colours' Metaphors: page 133: ' the day came rushing back with the hot breath of panic' Alliteration:
Protagonist: Kate-
Nice
Depressed
Antagonist: Sam - i did Sam as the 'bad guy' because although he's very kind, his family is looked at as in the 'bad people'
You have a thorough understanding of your novel and present a good model for others. Be sure to make text to self connections to support your own ideas.
Ms C :)
I can see that you carefully reflected on the questions while completing this task. It shows!
Katie Willis After – Hazel Hutchins January 25th 2011
E-journal entry 1
:
When the choice came to choose our book for Novelty study, I chose ‘After’ first because of what I read on the back. The back was about after a shooting, but in the book you really don’t know about the shooting, it usually kind of gives hints about the characters ‘Kate and Sam’ missing someone that had died. Closer to the middle you learn more about it though. At the beginning I was really excited about getting this book, but it actually didn’t have that much of a hook and didn’t really intrigue you. Although when you read more of the book it continues on about Kate and Sam’s lives, and also you wanted to read more near the middle because it was dropping more and more hints and somehow, even though Kate and Sam, first of all; don’t know each other, and don’t even live close together, you infer that the shooting has some sort of connection that ties them both together. Before the story began you learn that Kate’s older brother Josh dies in a shooting, and so has Everett, Sam’s older brother. I don’t think the setting is that important in this story because Sam, is either right now, at school or at his apartment and Kate is living on a ranch, and goes to school also. It doesn’t really state what town or even country they live in ever, but through the novel I think it will become clearer of where this story takes place. There is one main problem of both characters, and that is coping with the death of their siblings and how the town reflects on the situation to them as a person. Kate moved before the story started to get away from where it happened, because her family wanted to start fresh and not have to deal with the rumours going around town. Sam though, has not moved but attends a school on the other side of town with only one boy that knows their families’ secret. So they’re both dealing with emotional problems with the death of a loved one, but also their dealing with ‘what will people think of us now?’ questions or ‘Can I really move on from this situation?’. As I read on I’m getting a better feel from the book and understanding more, but it is also tricky switching chapter to chapter to Kate, and then Sam, Kate and then Sam. Sam is also spoken in a third person narrator, well Kate’s chapters are written as if she’s sending a letter to her friend starting as ‘Dear Amy,’ .
E-journal entry 2 :
When i read more and more of the book After, it really started to get interesting! Kate's Dad left her and her mom alone, by themselves on the ranch and they really started to have to work really hard to keep everything running well. Soon though, Kate's part started getting boring and i was always excited about Sam's chapter because it started to get into what happened and why. It turns out Sam's older brother has a huge anger managment problem and a mental disorder, and murdered Kate's older brother and best friend. Kate and Sam don't even know eachother but they are linked majorly in this book. You'd think that Kate's mom would be mad at Sam's family but she's not, not even a bit, maybe it was because Sam's older brother (the murderer; Everett) killed himself after he killed Kate's older brother (Josh) and her best friend (Amy). I also have figured out that Amy isn't getting these letters that Kate's writing after all because she's actually dead, it states this in almost the very last sentence in the book.
Wiki Task - Febuary 14th 2011
Kate's Perspective- Setting: Before the story it tells that Kate just moved to a ranch, in a remote location, the horse ranch with acres of fields, and a huge barn. They live in a huge farmhouse, with a dog house and a willow tree at the end of the lane.
Sam's Perspective-Setting: Sam lives in a run down apartment at the wrong end of town, he has a very small room, and so does everyone in his apartment, beside the building there is an abandoned house.
Kate and Sam live in very different areas, Kate in a remote location on a beautiful ranch, Sam in a cluttered, run down apartment building.
The conflict in this story, deals with the impact of both their lives after there loss and how their coping, and the story behind the loss, and what people are doing now that they know about the story. Kate moves to get away from people knowing about her brother's death, but it's ripping there family apart, they don't celebrate birthdays, or anyother holidays, and Kate's Dad barley talks to her or her Mom. This result is Kate's Dad leaving unexpectantly, leaving her mom and herself in charge of the horses. Sam has a younger sister, and she's at that age where she knows kind of whats going on, but yet she doesnt. Whenever Sam and sam's mom talk about Everett's name the whole world crashes around them. Since Everett was mentally challenged everybody around is avoiding the family and Sam because they think they are going to be like Everett also.
Climax:
The climax in after is i think, where Kate's Dad leaves and Sam's Bully starts to piece together, and tell everyone about how his brother murdered Kate's brother. When Kate's Dad finally had enough, he left unexpectantly. Sam's Bully knew about Everett murdering two people but then he started to tell people and figure out where Sam stashed the gun from the murder. Sam's bully then trys to threaten Sam into giving it to him, but Sam makes a smart choice and tells one person at school to go take the gun from the hiding place to the cops, because who knew the damage Sam's Bully could do with that in his hands.
Kate finds that her dad has actually been coming to the barn all the time to feed and care for the horses when her and her moms back was turned, she finds him in the barn one day when one of the horses was about to give birth, and stood there watching the foal get up and start to walk with her mom, they decide to try to make things right again, because they have an inch of hope that maybe they can get through this hard time in their lives.
Foreshadowing: When reading After it foreshadows on the first page of chapter 37 page 119, that her dad 'doesn't want to be around anyone these days' foreshadowing that her Dad doesn't want to be with or around Kate and her mom. I think it is foreshadowing that he is getting ready to leave.
Similies: page 127: 'it felt like the whole world had come down upon me in darkness'
page 105: '.. into the distance like a little poem among the trees'
page 105: 'She stands on the gym floor below the stage like a giant bird all painted in matching colours'
Metaphors: page 133: ' the day came rushing back with the hot breath of panic'
Alliteration:
Protagonist: Kate-
Antagonist: Sam - i did Sam as the 'bad guy' because although he's very kind, his family is looked at as in the 'bad people'